A symbolical telling of the history of the Belarusian people, their centuries-old struggle for liberation.

The stationmaster of a railway station situated in the steppes of Kazakhstan discovers a rubber-bearing plant. Soon, an expeditionary team arrives, led by Professor Shakhron, who will persistently argue—by hook or by crook—that there are no rubber-bearing plants in these steppes, all the while plotting a trip abroad. In ultimately exposing the professor, the team forces him to admit to concealing the results of their work.

In the short-lived Commune of Paris, a conscripted soldier falls in love with a Communard saleswoman. As the army cracks down on the revolutionaries, the soldier is forced to fight against the Commune, and the pair's love is put to the test.

The struggle of the Komsomol members against private speculators for the surrender of fish to the state.